The Pilot
by Ryuuji Mai
Summary: An acquaintance of a half-burned face pilot visits him after 15 years.


The Pilot

I have a deep obsession about planes and flight, and always will be. I love everything that is connected about aeroplanes. The sight of blue skies and cotton candy clouds from the small window never cease to amaze me. The wheezing sound of a plane about to take off, the thrill from the plane's speed before it's departure, everything. I am so addicted to it that it is comparable to the heroin I taste fifteen years ago. It is relaxing, pleasuring, addicting.

Now my obsession seems to be flawlessly pleasuring, but I do have my own dark memories. Hell, it happened just two years ago. It was indeed one of my worst experience in life, and although I was badly affected by it, I would have no problem telling it to you simply because this comfy executive class seat I sit and the miniaturic view of my hometown, Kyoto.

It was a rainy day. I drove recklessly from my home to the airport. The rain was extremely heavy, so heavy that I can't see anything within 100 m of sight. But as a daredevil as I am, I pushed through the stormy rain fearlessly.

When I arrived at the airport, my feelings tell me that a terrible thing would happened. I ignored them, of course, and sat patiently at the waiting room after checked in and all. Suddenly, a loud, loud, thunder struck the airport and it triggered an electrical cut. All people inside – except maybe me – panicked for a moment. An announcement came from the speaker, and three minutes later the lamp turned on. The queue was long enough to make me momentarily sleep on my chair. After I boarded, I laughed at myself how stupid I was for telling myself there was a bad thing would happened. I turned on my phone to play a song in my earphone and ate a candy. I browsed Internet at my phone for a moment before the plane took off from the landing board. At this point, I haven't realised my mistake that could be took my life.

I kept browsing and browsing through the Internet in the sky before the speaker told that we should turn off our phones while boarding. I immediately shut off the Internet from my phone, put my phone on my purse, and leave it just like that. Everything would be fine. After all, my phone had the airplane mode so I don't need to turn it off so I could play some games to ease the boredom from a 12 hour flight.

Then the plane shook. Suddenly I woke up from my slumber. I angrily thought to myself, 'What on earth is happening!? Dare to disturb my sleep, huh?' and there was a loud, frightening announcement from the speaker.

"Brace yourselves! We will do an emergency landing!"

What the hell, was my first respond to the blaring voice.

I thought it was just a fucking dream.

Then I realized how naive I was after I saw these things.

First, the floor sloped extremely.

Second, I saw water coming closer and closer to the window.

Third, my airplane mode.

I forgot to turn it on.

But it was too late.

I'm going to d—

BOOOMM!

I felt my body scorching hot. Then soaking wet. Then silence.

My consciousness was engulfed in darkness for an inordinate amout of time, before waking up at a foreign hospital.

Everything seemed strange. I never been to this hospital before. The doctors and nurses spoke weird language. It smells strange in this room.

"Has she awake?"

"Thank goodness she is"

"Poor lady, she lost her left leg!"

That was the only sentences I understand, and I ignored it anyway before I sleep again. Turns out that the third sentence was aimed at me after I awoke and screamed over my lost leg. The nurses tried to comfort me, but to no avail. I was too shocked by the fact that I lost my leg from the thigh downwards. However, I still felt gratitude that my whole other body is fine.

After I deemed healthy enough to leave the hospital, then another nightmare came to me. I received a letter from the government to attend an interview with the pilot who is responsible in my airplane accident. Once again, I ride a plane, yet I didn't feel an ounce of trauma from my accident. I fly from Switzerland (my current place) to Tokyo for approximately 15 hours. Of course I didn't make the same mistake by turning on my airplane mode. It's the only thing I am afraid to forget so much that I did that instinctively.

After I arrived at Tokyo, me and my family were picked up by some men in black with a black limousine car, probably from the government. And yes, it was from the government. I was picked up by the private driver from the Emperor of Japan himself!

The driver explains that we will attend an interview with a pilot that saved everybody from the accident. He was a real hero. Nobody was hurt in the accident, but the pilot had to sacrifice himself in the process.

Speaking of pilot, I know an acquaintance from high school that dreams for being a pilot one day. His name is Kise Ryouta. That time he was a model and a basketball player, though. I don't know why he dreamed being a pilot when he grow up. That's all I know from him.

My family dropped in at the lobby while I was carried to the waiting room for the interview. I was curious who the pilot is, and how he would look like. My feeling said that this person is one of my acquaintance. Pfft, stupid me I was thinking weird things again. I fell aslept when I was waiting for so long, until...

"Kirishima Ayumu!"

Oh my, that was my turn! So I hastily walked to the red – curtained room, and stopped that I only found darkness inside.

Suddenly the lights turned on, and it shines both my chair and another. There is someone who sat at the other chair, facing away from me. I sat at my chair. The other person turned his chair to me, his face down. Slowly, he lifted his face.

It was horrible.

Half of his face could never be called 'face' anymore. It was covered in burned red flesh, a blind eye filled the burned face's eye socket. But the other half is perfectly fine.

On top of that, the other half of his face looks... familiar.

It's for the sake of his passenger's live, he sacrifices his best asset.

"Hello, my name is Kise Ryouta." he said, extending his palm. "Nice to meet you."

"My name is Kirishima Ayumu." I greeted his big hand. "Nice to meet you too."

END.


End file.
